Monitoring of critical laboratory values is now
required of all laboratories by both the CAP and the JCAHO. By definition
a critical value is one which "reflects pathophysiologic derangements at
such variance with normal as to be life-threatening if treatment is not
instituted immediately".

CHEMISTRY CRITICAL
VALUES

Test

Low

High

Albumin

<1.5 g/dl

Amylase

>3x upper limit of normal

Bilirubin Total (Newborn)

None

15 mg/dl

Bicarbonate (CO2)

15 mMol/l

40 mMol/L

BUN

>100 mg/dl

Calcium

7 mg/dl

12 mg/dl

Calcium (Newborn)

6 mg/dl

13 mg/dl

Chloride

80 mMol/L

120 mMol/L

Drug Analyses

> upper limit of
therapeutic range

Glucose (Male)

50 mg/dl

400 mg/dl

Glucose (Female)

40 mg/dl

400 mg/dl

Glucose (Newborn)

40 mg/dl

300 mg/dl

Glucose CSF

<40 mg/dl

Lactic Acid

>5 mEg/dl

Magnesium

1.2 mg/dl

>4.9 mg/dl

Magnesium (OB)

<4.0 mg/dl

>8.0 mg/dl

Osmolality Serum

<265 mOsm/kg

>320 mOsm/kg

Osmolality Urine

<100 mOsm/kg

>800 mOsm/kg

Phosphorous

1 mg/dl

none

Potassium (Newborn)

2.5 mEq/L

6.5 mEq/L

Potassium

2.5 mEq/L

8.0 mEq/L

Sodium

120 mEq/L

155 mEq/L

All drug analyses which exceed upper limit of
therapeutic range will be called.

HEMATOLOGY CRITICAL
VALUES

Test

Low

High

Hematocrit

0-1 week

None

>65%

1 week - 12
years

<30%

>59%

>12 years

<18%

>59%

Platelet Count

50,000cumm

>1,000,000/cumm

WBC

<2.5

>30

Ne#

<0.5

None

INR

None

>5.0

APTT

Non-heparinized

None

>70 sec

Heparinized

None

>100 sec

Smear for Malaria

None

Positive

Fibrinogen

<100 mg/dl

None

Bleeding Time

None

>15 min

Thrombin Time

None

>35.9 sec

URINALYSIS CRITICAL
VALUES

Urinalysis Critical
Values

> 300
Glucose and large ketones on same specimen >1000 Glucose
regardless of ketones